Units. They are indeed one of the most important parts of Command & Conquer Generals. Sure, you have things like shadows, the moving train, the way that one building crumbles, and then there's always the authenticity of some of the trees, but without the units, this game could quite possibly not be that great. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll say that the units are what make Generals, Generals.

With there importance outlined in that brief blurb of text above we scientifically refer to as "the filler," we'll be bringing you a few features detailing the units in the game. Since we're cool, we've been able to thoroughly play with them for some time now. It beats the hell out of setting up GI Joes on that specially ordered aircraft carrier your brother bought, let me tell you.

I'll mention that this is an RTS, but that's as far as I'm going to go. For any further information you're going to have to hit up either our earlier singleplayer-centric preview or our more recent multiplayer hands-on, complete with videos. Those are both lengthy accounts of the game that describe other things aside from units. Fools, they actually thought there was more to it.

Since cramming descriptions of every single unit in the entire game into one article is a long and tedious process that you'll likely not want to read through at one sitting, we'll break this down by faction. Steve will be doing the USA (you can guess what that stands for), Dan will be doing the GLA (you can also kind of guess what that stands for if you know Dan), and I'll be doing the units of China since I have a Russian sounding name and am the closest thing to an oppressive dictating jerk that likes heavy weapons this office has. The assignments all make sense.

...end repeat.

Inferno Cannon:

Now you know why cars are called things like Jaguar and Pinto. The name is half the sell. Such is the case with the inferno cannon. Just by selecting it in your war factory and reading the brief blurb that mentions something about firestorms, you know it's going to be good. And in a lot of ways, it doesn't disappoint.

If blowing up a base incredibly fast is something you think you really, really need to do, then the inferno cannon is your tool. Unfortunately, even though it can seriously punish the man who likes to group his units into pretty packs, it's not so good against a scattered force, nor is it the best thing to use against fast moving tanks. Of course, there is the fact that it can't even shoot at planes. But like I said, if you really, really need to blow the holy hell out of a base...

Cost:900

Requirements: - War Factory - Propaganda Center

Special:None

MiG:

China may have the largest air force in real-life, but in the future, all they really need are a few MiGs to get the job done. Lethal, fast, and made out of papier-mache, MiGs are great against bushels of GLA and unguarded American forces. Just watch the AA and rocket troops, otherwise a flaming carcass is the only thing that'll be flying through the air.

If you don't explode while flying across the maps, you can use the automatically landing and reloading bad boys to storm over enemy armor of any kind. The splash damage missile attacks are particularly lethal against anything that's slow and next to anything else. Wasting a trip on some infantry is a surefire way to reveal your strengths and get yourself exploded on the next pass, so fly the unfriendly skies with caution.

Cost:1200

Requirements:Air Field

Special:None

Nuke Cannon:

Lobbing a small tactical nuclear warhead a great distance sounds like incredible fun and it really is, especially if you're shooting at more than just trees and sand.

Once you become a three star general and are willing to spend two general points and 1600 in hard earned supplies, you'll have access to one of the most lethal weapons in the game. The nuke cannon obliterates everything around it. If you're flying by in a plane, you're dead. If you're walking on the ground, you're dead. If you're driving in a vehicle, you're dead. If you're hunkered down in a building, you're dead. It's death all around, and at one low, low price. God bless China.

Taking it up close to anything would be a fatal mistake. The nuke cannon isn't too good at defending itself and is actually a bit worse at trying to run away. Stay far away, keep it heavily guarded, and let the fiery fun fly.

You'll have to play the game if you want to get a load of this one, because the picture isn't linked here.

Cost:1600 and 2 General Points

Requirements: - War Factory - Propaganda Center - 3 General Stars

Special:None

Overlord:

Here comes the big boy, so look the hell out. Some tanks are big, some are strong, others are average. The overlord is the ultimate ass kicker that just plain blows the living hell out of everything, everywhere. It's the baddest, meanest, most rotten apple on the tree. It's the tornado that throws the roof off your home. It's the turtle that shoots fire from its mouth and is even capable of running fast if upgraded and sprouting propaganda to rally other turtles. Turtles can do all of that, in case you didn't know.

Taking an overlord into a battle is a great way to hurt a lot of people very quickly. Getting the speed and shot upgrades are essential if you want to make the punishment even more severe. That top mounted gattling gun is also a nice way of keeping those pesky rocket infantry at bay, though they'll still fire like crazy and blow the sides right off you if you don't have any support.

As tough as the stock model is, the upgrades are what really make it shine. Whether it's the plane and infantry destroying gattling cannon (1000), the soldier storing battle bunker (400), or the propaganda spreading propaganda tower (500), the overlord is one tough cookie. Plus, it's really cool to watch and it scares the hell out of people when it comes rumbling down the street, especially if you have a bunch of them.